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An extra £500m over two years equates to less than 0.25% of the NHS budget

It is fair to say £500m is a lot of money. It would pay for five Gareth Bales or perhaps 10 Wayne Rooneys.

But these things are relative. In terms of the NHS, it could be considered a drop in the ocean.

The budget in England is more than £110bn. If you include social care in that, it tops £120bn.

When you consider this pot is being spread over two years, £500m amounts to less than 0.25% of the NHS budget a year.

So what difference will the bailout make to struggling A&E departments?

If it was being spread across all 168 units, probably not a lot.

But it isn't. The money is being targeted at the areas with the worst problems.

That is likely to mean fewer than 50 areas will get the extra cash - and that could make all the difference between the NHS hitting its target and not.

Rightly or wrongly, A&E performance is often judged on how well it does making sure that 95% of its patients are seen within four hours - it is allowed a 5% leeway to reflect ebbs and flow in demand and allow doctors to prioritise the sickest patients.